Defying Fate
by TheKaiSenpai
Summary: Being reborn was not something he believed in; nor did he believe in alternate realities. Fortunately for him, Kaeru discovered that both were reality on his deathbed. Living the life of a shinobi won't be glamorous, but he'll give it all he has. Even if he has to break a few rules and become trash.
1. Academy Arc - Changing Winds

**Academy Arc – The Changing Winds**

 **XXXXX**

The young boy kept a soft smile on his face as he sat at the dining room table. He kicked his feet like a child as he waited for dinner to be set. His father sat to his right, at the head of the table. The man read the paper in his hands, every so often glancing at his four year old son. They shared the same raven hair and dark eyes, as well as the same inquisitive look on life. While the older man's expression held a behind it the weariness of life, his son still retained in him the innocence of youth. And yet...

Dark eyes narrowed, and his son's smile widened. His child was not normal. No, he was normal. Too normal. There was nothing spectacular or even out-standing about his child. The boy, Kaeru Nara, was the epitome of a normal child. He didn't scream, he didn't cry, he didn't laugh loudly... It was as if his son merely existed. Brats his age should have been going out and causing trouble. Playing games with his friends and similar things. But he didn't.

Even in the academy, Kaeru stayed to himself and made decent grades, but that was it. He did nothing of the sort. "Papa?" his son's voice drifted into Shatone's ears. The older man glanced at the young boy. "Why aren't you fighting in the war going on?"

"I do better work here," the Nara spoke to his child. "Our family makes a lot of the medicine the village uses to heal our shinobi brethren. Not all wars are fought on the front lines, brat." Kaeru nodded to himself, as if taking the information to heart. He should have been too young to understand that, even for a Nara. Yet, his son was indisputably a genius. But his grades in the academy were still mediocre at best. It scared Shatone, but he didn't know why.

"Kaeru," Shatone spoke up once more. "How are you doing in the academy?" A brief flicker of worry passed over his son's eyes.

"I'm doing ok," the boy replied, looking back to the table. "We're learning about chakra and are starting control exercises."

"I see," the elder Nara replied slowly. "Are you making any friends?" Kaeru was silent, and his eyes didn't lift off the table. Despite being so smart, his boy was terrible at hiding his own emotions, even when he tried.

"Not really," the boy replied. "Nobody really talks to me."

"Sometimes you have to talk to others, brat," Shatone sighed the obvious response. "Tell you what, I want you to make a friend this week. Don't really care who, just make a friend."

"Ok," his son replied simply. Shatone nodded and looked back to his paper, only for it to be yanked out of his hands.

"No paper at the table, hun," his girlfriend, Emiko, smiled at him as she passed by. The young woman tossed his paper over to a cupboard, "I made both of your favorite: steak and pork hotpot with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, slices of potato and my specialty noodles!" The grin on Kaeru's face was palpable, while Shatone's own smile was more relaxed.

"Did I ever tell you that you're my favorite girlfriend?" the elder Nara asked, trying to hold back his drooling from the smell of the food. Emiko removed the lid of the pot, letting out a lot of steam as well as even more scents into the room.

"I'm your only girlfriend," the young woman replied, giving her boyfriend a pointed look. "Unless you have something to confess, you bastard?" The young man only laughed in response. "Jerk. Fine, I suppose you can still eat this wonderful meal I so lovingly prepared for you, you big jerk." There was no bite in her words, despite their harshness.

"Mama is the best!" Kaeru cheered, waiting for his father or mother to fill his plate. Emiko smiled at her son's enthusiasm before giving her boyfriend a sly look.

"See? At least someone appreciates me around here," she teased him. Shatone rolled his eyes, though the soft smile never left his face. "So, how was work today, dear?"

"Could've been better," the Nara sighed, his good mood fading a bit. "We lost some ground against Iwa (Stone), and Suna (Sand) has been holding their ground against us. Bastards are using their puppets, so it's hard to know when you're fighting a real person or not. By the time you realize it's a fake, it's too late."

"What's their puppets like, papa?" Kaeru asked as Emiko slid some beef and potatoes onto his plate. She and Shatone shared a look.

"It's nothing you need to worry about right now, Kaeru," his mother told him, offering the boy a patronizing smile. The boy pouted. "Not until you're much, much older."

"But... I want to learn more," the boy replied. Shatone took a deep breath.

"Puppets are weapons that some shinobi in Suna use," Kaeru's father began.

"Shatone!"

"He has the right to know, Emi," the man replied, feeling significantly older than he looked. "He's going to have to fight them eventually. It's the nature of shinobi to kill each other, and I'd rather our son not be the one being killed."

"But still..." the woman replied, but her argument was slowly fading away. "Fine. I'm not happy about this, though."

"You think I am?" Shatone asked. There was a lull before he addressed his son again. "We're not sure how they use their puppets, but they can control them with frightening efficiency. These puppets are laden with traps and poisons, and inexperienced shinobi can be slaughtered by them."

"Chakra?" the boy asked.

"Well, it is obvious that they need chakra to control the puppets," the elder Nara acknowledged. "We just don't know how. They're still relatively new to us, and we haven't been able to study their methods." Kaeru nodded slowly. "Our enemies are incredibly dangerous," Shatone explained further. "It's my job to make them less so."

"The bakugan?" Kaeru added, making his father pause. "They see chakra, right? Can they see how?" Shatone considered the idea. While sending a Hyuuga onto the battlefield was risky, especially since their eyes were so valuable and sought out, it could provide valuable insight on their enemies.

"That might work," the Nara replied, nodding slowly. "I'll ask my boss to see if he can put in a recommendation to the Hokage."

"Joe-kage," Kaeru smiled at the title and laughed a bit. Both Emiko and Shatone laughed as well, thankful for the shift in atmosphere.

"Don't you let them hear you call him that, you little brat," the elder Nara told his son, taking a bite of his food afterwards. "I'm sure Lord Third wouldn't mind, he seems to be very kindly to anyone who isn't his enemy, but any other higher ups would throw a fit."

"Ok," the four year old replied. Shatone and Emi shared another look, but continued the night like normal. It was only later, as they laid in bed, that they discussed their child.

"I'm worried about him," Emiko told her boyfriend as she undressed for the night. Shatone was already in bed, reading a book by the candlelight. "He's so young; he shouldn't be worried about war and what our enemies are like. You shouldn't be encouraging him, either."

"Eventually our son is going to have to figure this all out," was the reply. His eyes never lifted off of his book. "I'd rather he learn from us rather than learn by having a kunai stuck between his eyes. Wouldn't you?"

"That's not the point, Shatone," his girlfriend shot back. "We're going to teach our son to be a killer if we keep this up."

"Isn't that what a shinobi is trained to do?"

"I don't want my child to become a psychopath!"

"He'll be fine, Emi," Shatone finally closed his book and set it on the table beside his side of the bed. Emi slipped under the covers, holding her body against his. "Our kid is smart. Scary smart, even. I'm sure he'll be able to tell the difference between what's right and what's wrong." Emiko was silent as she laid her head on his chest. Her hand reached out for his.

The Nara gave her a gentle smile, even though her eyes were closed. His hand took hers and held it over his heart. "I'm scared, dear. Our son is being raised in the middle of a war, and we can't protect him."

"I know," was his response. His hand squeezed hers reassuringly, and he took a deep breath. "I know. That's why we have to teach him to become strong, Emi." Silence sat between the two of them. Shatone briefly felt Emi nod on his chest, before he felt her tears. The Nara's lips pursed, but he didn't say another word. He didn't need to.

Both of the adults missed the dark brown eyes that peered at them through a crack in their door. Eyes filled with weariness and worry. The soft patter of small, bare feet filled the hallway as Kaeru made his way back to his own bedroom. He closed the door softly behind him before climbing into the soft mattress and pulling the covers over his own body. The young boy stared at the ceiling.

Kaeru had a secret. It wasn't unusual for a child his age to have a secret. In fact, it was perfectly normal. His secret was anything but, though. Most children held secret friends, or maybe that they stole some sweets when their parents weren't looking. Kaeru's secret was that he wasn't actually a child. He was a fully grown man that had been reborn into what he had once considered a fictional world.

His name had once been Kai. Or at least, that's what he had called himself. Kai had been a grown man who died alone, and with his dying breath begged to be given another chance at life. That was when he met Salvador. Salvador was a devil, or even possibly THE Devil. Despite the strange name for the lord of evil and hell, he had struck a deal with Salvador. To continue living, all for the price of... well, to be determined later.

Kai didn't exactly have a lot of value, and his immortal soul apparently wasn't worth much either. The boy dreaded to think what Salvador would wish for in return, but the temptation was too great. Kaeru would live the life that Kai never could; that he could only dream of.

The dream of being normal. Maybe normal was stretching it, though. He lived in a world of militarized shinobi, of all things. Perhaps a better word would be content. He would live a content life, a far cry from his self-destructive life in the past. He would become someone great of his own merits, with a family and even grandchildren if he was lucky. Kaeru wanted nothing more.

Yet his own ambition betrayed him. To be someone fantastic and spectacular. To be a hero. His old, youthful dream to be someone looked up upon. It wasn't something he could ignore. He wasn't sure he wanted to, either. That was why he had asked his new father those questions. Maybe, just maybe, he could not only go past being normal, but become someone spectacular.

With those drifting concerns fleeing his mind, Kaeru allowed himself to fall asleep. Not before his father's request passed through his consciousness. To make a friend. Well, he had little trouble doing so in his youth during his previous life. It was sure to be easy this time, as well.

 **XXXXX**

Kaeru walked slowly to school, branding a navy blue shirt and khaki pants with a single pocket on each leg. On his back was a bright red bookbag made for someone his size, filled with pencils, note paper, a few dulled kunai as well as a book about chakra theory written by a former Konoha (Leaf) shinobi. His hair, a dark black, was cut short by his mother. It was styled in a bowl-cut, which was easy to care for.

As he approached the ninja academy, he noticed someone walking past him. A quick glance to his side revealed a grey haired boy with dark eyes. "Kakashi," he greeted him, giving him a light smile. The boy turned to him and frowned under his face-mask, rolling his eyes before moving on past him. Kaeru sighed, before following after. "What a jerk."

"I'm surprised you even made it another day, Uchiha," Kaeru frowned at the other voice that spoke up behind him.

"It's Nara," he corrected the young boy who pulled up beside him. "My mother was banished from the clan, and I don't even have the Sharingan, Senju Daikorama." The brown haired boy scoffed and rolled his eyes at the reply.

"Sharingan or not, you're still a dirty Uchiha," Daikorama replied, sneering at the boy. "My dad says that someday your family is gonna be wiped out." The irony was not lost on Kaeru. "I bet you'll all end up killing yourselves!" He could make a kunai with all that irony. Kaeru decided to not respond at all, and instead moved on towards the academy. He kept his eyes to his feet, moving through the door into the academy building. He hated school.

It was boring, and a lot of the things they taught him, he already knew. At least, when it came to math and sciences. The only interesting parts were chakra control exercises, and even that got old after a while.

The young Nara sat in the back-left of the classroom, laying his head on the desk. He shut his eyes, hoping to grab a little bit of sleep before class started. It was seven in the morning, after all, and Kaeru had never been much of a morning person. The young man let out a soft sigh. Nobody really sat beside him, anyways.

It was only a few minutes until the teacher, an Aburame, took to the front desk. "Silence," he spoke a single word, and the classroom, active with young children, quieted down. "We have a new student today who was brought in late. Hyuuga Kenkin, come in." Kaeru slightly opened his eyes as the new student came in. She was probably shorter than him, and had a rounded face and a cute, upturned nose.

The girl's hair was long, and held a raven color to it. Her eyes, of course, were a very faint lavender that almost seemed blank. She wore traditional white robes, and had bandages around her forehead, hiding what must have been her clan's Caged Bird Seal. "Introduce yourself," the Aburame stated.

"My name is Hyuuga Kenkin," her voice was soft like linen, though held almost a chiming sound to it like bells. "I am four years old, and I enjoy... reading." Her words were slow and forced, as if she were staring down her own demise. After listing her hobby, she looked down at her feet and wouldn't look back up. The teacher seemed to feel that was enough.

"You may sit next to Kaeru in the back," he stated, pointing to the empty seat on the boy's left. Kenkin quickly nodded, ascending the stairs up to his area. Dark brown eyes watched her carefully as she sat down beside him. Her posture was rigid. "Now, yesterday we spoke about kunai and the best way to throw them-"

Kaeru listened partially as the teacher droned on, already having figured out everything in his head about throwing a kunai straight. The boy instead paid attention to Kenkin, who was raptly taking notes in her paper. She looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place where she was from, or who she could be related to. His eyes then wandered the rest of his class. Aside from Kakashi, none of the rest were really worth noting. Well, maybe Obito and Gai and the rest of the future Konoha Jonin, but the rest of them were all pretty much trash.

His eyes closed again, and Kaeru could feel himself beginning to doze off once more. This was boring. Maybe when he woke up, they would be doing something more interesting. Maybe.

Kaeru awoke to snickering and giggles. His eyes slowly opened, and his teacher was standing in front of him. Kenkin was gripping the desk tightly, obviously uncomfortable. All eyes, though, were on Kaeru. His teacher stood before him, arms in his pockets and emotions tightly sealed as always. There was a telltale hum of irritation, though. Not a normal, human hum. An insectoid hum. The insects inside of the Aburame's body, a trait of their clan, were irritated like their keeper. "Hello, sensei," the boy greeted his teacher, yawning afterwards.

"Do my lessons bore you, Kaeru?"

"Yeah."

"I see. What would you consider more interesting?" The humming- no, buzzing was louder than before.

"I want to learn about the other villages," Kaeru replied. While the buzzing was still present, it softened a bit. The Aburame's voice was incredulous as he spoke again.

"The other villages?" he asked.

"Their weaknesses. How they fight. How to beat them," Kaeru explained further. "We're going to be shinobi. We need to know how to kill them. There's a war going on, you know."

"I am... aware," the snickering and giggling had stopped, and Kaeru noticed everyone was giving him weird looks. Even the Aburame, whose eyes were hidden, seemed to be lost in thought. "I will take it up with the Hokage. You make a very logical point. How do I know this? You children are being trained to be soldiers, so you must be made aware of the dangers."

Kaeru's teacher made his way back to the front of the classroom. "We will continue with the normal lesson, but I will ask if we can adjust them to better fit this time of war." Kaeru noticed that both Kakashi and Kenkin were giving him odd looks. Kakashi seemed to be a little bit impressed, while Kenkin had a more curious expression.

"Hm, what do you want?" he asked her. Despite the lack of bite in his tone, the Hyuuga flinched.

"I, um," she stammered. "You're very wise." She looked down at her desk, briefly shooting glances over at her neighboring student . Kaeru gave her a hint of a smile.

"I guess," he replied nonchalantly. "You're that new student."

"Y-Yes, I am," the girl confirmed for him. "It's nice to m-meet you." The boy nodded slowly in agreement, his eyes drooping. He was still so exhausted. He hated mornings. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," the Nara reassured her. "Just tired. I..." He paused. This was his chance to make a friend. Well, it would be easy, at least. "Hey, are you doing anything after school?"

"I should probably go back home," Kenkin trailed off as she spoke. She didn't seem too keen on the idea. "My family will be worried about me."

"Screw that," Kaeru yawned after he spoke. "I have to get stuff at the market today. Wanna come with me?" The Hyuuga hesitated. "I'll buy you dinner, or something."

"E-Eh?" her face flushed a bright red at the offer. "D-Dinner? That's so sudden, Nara."

"Kaeru," the boy corrected her. "It's not like a date or anything. Friends spend time together, right?"

"Friends," her voice trailed off once more. "I would like to be friends. After school, y-you said?"

"Mm," the boy nodded again. "You'll come with me?" The girl was silent for a moment, and Kaeru could hear his teacher prattling on.

"Y-Yes, I will," Kenkin smiled at him. It was a soft, genuine smile. Kaeru felt his heart skip a beat. Even though he was mentally an old man... his body and hormones were still that of a child.

The two were silent after she spoke, with Kenkin once more taking notes on the subject being taught, and Kaeru doing his best to not fall asleep, and failing.

Several hours later brought the class outside for their final class session, which was sparring with one another to judge combat ability. Students were judged based on individual skill, rather than how they stacked up against one another. The students themselves, though, didn't care.

"Yeah, go get him, Kakashi!" some girl shouted eagerly. The silver haired boy was fighting against Might Gai. While Gai was nothing special now, he was definitely giving it his all.

"Kick his butt!"

"Knock him out!"

"That's the match," the teacher called as Gai was knocked out of the ring. "Make the Seal of Reconciliation." Gai sighed, as he stood up, making the seal with an extended hand. Kakashi did the same, though somewhat reluctantly. "Now, stand aside," the Aburame instructed. "Next will be Hyuuga Kenkin and Nara Kaeru." The two students approached the ring. Kenkin was hunched over herself, nervous. Kaeru was slouching, having just awoken from a nap.

"Make the Seal of Confrontation," the teacher instructed. Both Kenkin and Kaeru held up half a Ram seal before them. "Begin!"

Kenkin's eyes didn't change. That was the first thing Kaeru noticed. She wasn't trained in using her Byakugan. At least, not effectively to use in combat. Then again, she was four and definitely not a prodigy. Her movements were far too hesitant as he approached, deciding to rush her. His gaze was still lazy, and his movements loose as he quickly approached. It made for an intimidating sight to an unprepared child.

Unfortunately, he'd underestimated her.

"Hah!" her fingers flew forward towards his face, and his eyes widened. As unconfident and nervous as she'd looked before, Kenkin was now acting without hesitation as soon as he'd drawn near. A ruse!

Kaeru paid for his mistake as a large blast of Chakra came from the sweep of her hand, sending the boy back towards the edge of the ring. The Nara skidded across the dirt, watching his opponent more cautiously. Her Byakugan was active, and she stood with a confident and controlled stance. She knew he wouldn't be fooled twice. However, she had.

The point was not hers. She hadn't knocked him out of the ring, and had revealed a trump card of hers. She wouldn't be able to pull the same trick twice. Not against a Nara. Not against Kaeru. The boy flew towards her again, moving faster than he had previously.

Her pale eyes tried to track him, losing him for a moment as he circled her before finally pinpointing him as he made to strike. "Not yet," she spoke, aiming to sweep him again. Chakra shot from her hand. It missed. "Wha?"

A sandaled foot slammed against her chin, sending her up into the air briefly before coming down. A rounded kick sent her skidding and rolling across the ground towards the edge of the sparring circle. "I'm not done!" Kaeru shouted, chasing after her. His foot slammed into her side, sending her tumbling out of the ring.

"First point goes to Kaeru," the Aburame announced. "Return to the ring." Kenkin groaned, clutching her side. She whimpered briefly, struggling to stand.

"Hey, are you ok?" Kaeru asked, ovvering her a hand. She took it, and he pulled her up onto her feet. "Do you want to quit?"

"N-No," the girl grunted, limping towards the ring. Fire burned in her eyes as she gazed at the boy. "I want to keep going." Kaeru frowned, but he nodded and returned to his side of the ring. Kenkin took her spot again, clutching her side.

"Begin!" Kaeru made to approach cautiously. He didn't want to hurt the girl too badly, or-

Kenkin rushed him, and his eyes widened. Her fingers slammed into his stomach and let loose a powerful blast of chakra, sending the Nara flying out of the ring with a single hit. She'd been bluffing! A smug smile adorned Kenkin's lips as she walked over to him. "Point to Kenkin," the Aburame announced. "Return to the ring. This will be the final match between the two of you."

"Hey, are you ok?" the Hyuuga asked him, a mirthful smile on her face. She picked the boy up. Kaeru shot her a dirty look. "Do you want to quit?"

"I'm gonna kick your ass," the Nara growled, his fists clenched. Kenkin smiled at that, but said nothing as she took up her position again. Shy she might have been, but she was definitely ruthless in a fight. He had made the same mistake again. "I won't do that again," he told her, stretching his muscles. "I will beat you."

"You'll try."

"Begin."

This time, they both launched towards each other. Kenkin's strikes were quick and precise, keeping Kaeru on his toes. Each evasion was met with another attempted strike, giving him very little time to try and strike back. Every incoming move had to be read quickly. Every opening had to be judged. None of them were wide enough to-

There!

Kaeru took advantage of Kenkin's hesitation to strike his face, and he slammed his head against hers. He, expecting the pain, followed up quickly. Her, not expecting to be head-butt, was briefly stunned by the sudden agony. Kaeru buried his fist into the girl's stomach, adrenaline filling his body. "Grk!" she coughed out as he twisted his hand, burying it deeper into her body. The boy shoved harder with his fist, sending her stumbling back.

While Kenkin definitely had the speed advantage, Kaeru had strength on his side. He followed his punch with a hard kick, aiming for the same place his fist has gone. Her hands, though, caught his leg. "No," she grunted. "Not here!" Her other hand was raised in the air, and she made to chop at his leg.

"You jerk!" Kaeru shouted back, using his free leg to leap into the air and kick her face before she could strike him. His foot didn't connect; instead Kenkin had diverted her hand to block his attack, sending Kaeru's back into the ground. "Oof!"

"I saw you!" Kenkin twisted and spun the boy by his legs for a second before tossing him out of the ring. "Hah!"

"Point to Kenkin. She is the winner," the teacher announced. "Kaeru, get up. Both of you make the Seal of Reconciliation." The two students faced one another and made the seal. While the girl flushed, they both had smiles on their faces.

 **XXXXX**

"You're really skilled," Kaeru spoke to the girl as they left school for the day. The sun was starting to make its descent, and other students shuffled past them as they tried to leave quickly and go home. Kaeru still had to go to the market. "I thought I was going to win." There was a soft pout on his face, as well as a bandage on his arm from when he'd scraped it against the ground during the fight. He'd only noticed the wound after the fight had ended.

"My older brothers ensure that I a-am strong," Kenkin replied, her voice once more meek and soft. She seemed to be able to look at him face to face, though. "Ah, that's him. Big brother Hizashi!" Kaeru blinked at the name as the girl called out to the teenager. The young man in question had long, brunette hair and a stern expression on his face, as most Hyuuga tended to have. Bandages also wrapped around his head, hiding his own Caged Bird Seal.

"Kenkin," Hizashi replied the informal greeting as the two children approached. "Are you ready to return home?" He blinked as he noticed Kaeru approaching alongside his sister. "Who is this?"

"Ah, this is my friend, Kaeru," the girl replied. "He is going to the market today, and i-invited me. May I go?" Hizashi was silent for a minute, his eyes watching the boy carefully. Kaeru likewise returned the gaze, before Hizashi grunted.

"I am sure that father won't mind a detour," a soft smile spread across his face. "Especially if we buy some food for the rest of the clan."

"Thank you, big brother!" the girl gave his leg a loving hug, and his hand came down to pat her head. "Kaeru, this is my big brother, Hizashi."

"Hello," the boy greeted the older male after much previous discussion. The trio becan to walk the dirt streets to the market place.

"Hello," was the equally curt reply. Kenkin glanced between the two males before hugging herself against Hizashi's body. She seemed more comfortable with her brother.

The walk to the market wasn't long, and was equally uneventful. Kaeru and Kenkin shared small discussion along the way, such as favorite colors and animals. Funnily enough, the girl like the color green because it reminded her of grass. She was also quite enthralled by different kinds of birds. Except crows. Crows were apparently scary.

"What about you, Kaeru?" Kenkin asked as the boy bought some fruits from a farmer's stall.

"Hm?"

"Do you have a favorite animal?" the girl reminded him. Kaeru took a minute to think as he took the bag from the older man. Hizashi helped take the paper bag off of the counter, and handed it to the Nara.

"Thank you," Kaeru spoke instinctively, getting a nod in return from both Hizashi and the farmer. "A favorite animal... I like cats," he told her. "They're very smart, and cuddly when they're little. But they can fight hard when they need to." He paused. "Like you, I guess?"

"M-Me?" the girl's face glowed red, and Kaeru hid a smile. She was fun to fluster. Hizashi, though, spotted his quirked lips and shook his head exasperatedly. "I-I'm not cuddly at a-all!" Kaeru only shrugged at her response, but didn't bother arguing further as they left the stall towards the main street.

"When's your birthday?" the boy asked suddenly. Kenkin blinked.

"November twelfth," she told him. "What about yours?"

"My birthday?"

"Mm!"

"July eighteenth," the boy told her. She giggled. "What?"

"I-I'm older than you," Kenkin pointed out. Irritation initially started to build in Kaeru, but he quickly rolled his eyes and squashed it down. He'd forgotten that this was something important to kids.

"Yeah, well..." he grumbled, "only by half a year. So we're the same age, anyways, I think. And I turn five in a few months!"

"I'm already five," the girl replied, and Kaeru paused. He re-did the math in his head. She was right, she was definitely older than him. Wait, when did he start to care about that? Also, she was only partially right, he was mentally far older than she was. Then again, he'd honestly forgotten he was an old man when he was around her. As Kenkin celebrated "defeating" him in another aspect, a small smile graced Kaeru's face. Kenkin was definitely a true friend.

The trio paused briefly for Hizashi to shop for food, before making their way to the Hyuuga clan compound. The sun was setting, leaving a soft orange hue to the village. "We should eat," the elder of the three told them. "Dinner at the Hyuuga clan has already passed, and I highly doubt that we will be given food freely when we return."

"Can we eat there?" Kenkin pointed to a small stall with steam coming out from the top of the entrance. "I've seen it a lot, and I've always wanted to try." The kanji on the front of the dividers was hard for Kaeru to make out, but it said something along the lines of "Ramen Is The Best Pleasure".

"I like ramen," he spoke up, looking to Hizashi. While he was already perfectly comfortable going on his own, he still had to look to the elder for permission due to his age.

"I suppose there could be worse places to go," the elder Hyuuga replied to the two of them. A smile spread across Kenkin's face, and they made their way towards the stand. Already inside were a very familiar couple with crimson and yellow hair. "Hello, Namikaze. Uzumaki."

"Er, Hyuuga, right?" the blonde one replied as the trio sat down. "Good evening. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm out for dinner with my little sister and her friend. Kenkin, Kaeru, say hello."

"Hello Mr. Namikaze, miss Uzumaki," Kenkin replied immediately, offering the two a short bow. The blonde man was wearing a green flak jacket, as was the girl sitting beside him. Speaking of...

"Awww, you're so cute, ya know!" the crimson haired girl gushed over Kenkin, whose own face immediately flushed red at the attemtion. "If I had a kid, I'd love for her to be just as cute as you!"

"E-Eh? Kushina," the blonde raised his hands, trying to calm the girl down. "Isn't it a bit too early to think about kids? I mean, uh..." The boy glanced at Hizashi. "Help me," he mouthed.

"You're on your own," the Hyuuga replied silently. Kaeru looked on with amusement as Kenkin's cheeks were pinched. He snickered, but realized his mistake only when Kushina's attention turned to him.

"Look, Minato," she continued, making her way over to the Nara. "This boy is far less flaky than you. He's gonna grow up so handsome!"

"K-Kushina..." Minato's efforts were in vain. "I'm so sorry, we just came back from a mission and she's understandably... stir crazy." The redhead's fists clenched.

"Stir crazy, eh?" her attempted assault on the Nara was interrupted as a wave of fear washed over the men. "It's not my fault it was super boring, ya know! I was even gonna-"

"One miso ramen, right up," a kindly young man spoke up from behind the counter, sliding a bowl where Kushina had once been sitting. In an instant, she was seated again.

"Thanks, old man!" the girl cheered before quickly digging into her food, previous rage gone in an instant. All of the men, as well as Kenkin, watched in bewilderment for a moment.

"R-Right," the man behind the counter shook his head. "Anyways, my name is Teuchi Ichiraku, the owner of this joint. You guys are definitely first timers, aren't you?"

"We are," Hizashi confirmed.

"Great! Well, I have a tradition going that the first bowl for a new customer is on the house," Teuchi grinned at them. "So, what can I get ya? I don't have a whole lot since Kushina there ate a lot of my stock, but I'm sure I can whip ya all up something delicious."

"I-It's not my fault that I burned a lot of energy on our mission," Kushina protested softly. She got patronizing looks in return. "Jerks." The young woman finished the last of her food, and Minato left some ryo on the counter.

"Thank you for the delicious food as always, Teuchi," the blonde followed up. He stood, and took Kushina's hand. "Have a night night, everyone."

"Goodnight!" Kushina waved as they left. Dark brown eyes trailed after them as they left. Kaeru's mind worked in overdrive for a moment before he turned his attention back to the immediate area around him. He would eat, tonight. But he would also plan. He would-

A soft hand grasped his, and Kaeru looked down. Kenkin's fingers interlaced with his own, and she held a gentle smile on her face, along with a blush. She didn't look at him, and instead ordered beef ramen for herself. Kaeru's fingers gripped hers in return.

He could save planning for another time. Right now he was with his friend. He was going to enjoy their time together, something he couldn't have done in his previous life. That evening, eating ramen with his new best friend in a cool, gentle breeze. For the first time in a very long time, Kai- no, Kaeru felt at peace.

 **XXXXX**

 **The first chapter in the rebooted story, and as you can see it's much slower paced than the original. In fact, this will be about the pace of the entire "book". This story, specifically, will end when Naruto graduates from the Academy with his team, which means we have a long way to go! I'm so excited to see where this ends up! Of course there will be some time skips, but they'll be nowhere near as drastic as in the original, and likely will only happen in the first half. Once we hit Naruto's story, the skips will slow down exponentially.**


	2. Academy Arc - Springtime of Youth

**Academy Arc – Springtime of Youth**

 **XXXXX**

Of all the things Kaeru expected to be doing with his morning, waking up early was not one of them. To be fair, his present parent was equally surprised. Especially for a weekend. The now five year old boy slowly walked into the kitchen at seven in the morning, much to the bewilderment of the unmarried mother. "Kaeru?" his mother spoke cautiously as she watched him sit at the dining room table. "Are you feeling alright, honey?"

"Mm," was the grunted response.

"If you say so," the former Uchiha sighed. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Mm."

"Alright. Would you like an omelet today?"

"Mm."

"With tomatoes?"

"Nn."

"Of course not, how silly of me," the young woman had long since been able to decipher her child's morning grunting ever since he'd started at the academy. It only helped that his father had been the exact same way when they started dating. Nara grunting was a second language to her at this point; both in and out of the bedroom. She pushed a few strands of her long her from her face, before Emiko started to make breakfast for her son. Her pale skin mirrored that of her child, or would it be the other way around? Thankfully, it seemed that he would gain her family's height and regal features, though the sharpness of his chin was more akin to Shatone's.

"So," the mother of Kaeru spoke once more. "What's gotten you up so early, you normally lazy butt? If I remember correctly, you hate not being able to sleep in on weekends."

"Gonna play with Kenkin," Kaeru replied, his voice barely audible over the sound of the eggs cooking in her pan. Kenkin was the friend that Kaeru had made several months ago, Emiko remembered. She was a sweet girl, if a bit passive. She seemed to follow her son around like a lost puppy. It was cute in a way, and Kaeru didn't seem to mind her at all.

"Oh, are you? Where will you be going?"

That made her son pause for a moment, causing her to look back at him. Kaeru was looking at the table, eerily focused. "I dunno," was the response. Emiko frowned slightly. That was a very obvious lie.

"Will anyone be with you?"

"No, we're just gonna go out and play," if she didn't know any better, he sounded almost like a cornered teenager. "Um, maybe go see a movie?" A movie? Those were pretty expensive. The technology to show motion pictures had only come out a few years ago, so seeing a movie was normally reserved for the well off. Something they were not.

"How do you plan to do that?" the mother asked, curious as to his response. She and Shatone had gone out to see a movie once the year before as a special date. They hadn't the money to do it again.

When she asked her question, she noticed that Kaeru flinched. "Kaeru," her voice trailed off dangerously.

"We were gonna sneak in and sit on the ceiling," the boy replied. Of course. They had just learned how to stick to surfaces, and were going to use it to see a movie in secret. Not to mention they'd learned the henge no jutsu a month back, making sneaking in relatively simple. Still, this was surprisingly out of character for her son.

"What gave you that idea, honey?" Kaeru flushed at the question.

"Kenkin said we should," the former Uchiha cocked an eyebrow. Sweet, shy Kenkin had? That was a surprise. Assuming he wasn't lying, of course. Children had a habit of blaming their friends for things they'd done; like the time Emiko had blamed Shatone for stealing a few kunai that she'd borrowed from her older brother. Childishness at its finest.

"Well," Emiko finally spoke up, letting out a sigh in the process. "So long as you aren't caught, I suppose I really can't do anything to stop the two of you. You be home by eight, though, alright?"

"Ok, mama!" her son's voice was much more energetic than it had been. Only a minute later, his food was ready and set on a plate before him. He ate it ravenously. There was a soft knock at the door of their apartment, and Emiko cursed under her breath. There were just too many chores for her around the house. Thankfully Kaeru had been getting groceries after school every day, but sometimes it still wasn't enough.

"I've got it," she told her son, who had started to get off his chair. The boy's mother moved to the door and opened it, revealing little Kenkin outside. She was a cute girl; her hair was now longer than when she'd first been introduced to her, and her body was starting to mature into that of a girl's. The young woman smiled at the girl, briefly lingering on her cleanly rounded and shortened eyebrows. She was the youngest daughter of the Hyuuga patriarch, she supposed, so the noble-esque nature of her eyebrows was fitting. "Hello, Kenkin."

"Good morning, miss Uchi- a-ano, miss Nara," the girl quickly corrected herself, giving the woman a short bow before peering inside, down the hallway that led into the dining room and kitchen. "Is K-Kaeru awake?"

"He is, he's just finishing breakfast," Emiko told her, stepping aside. "Why don't you come in? I'm sure Kaeru would be happy to see you." Kenkin quickly stepped in and took off her sandals.

"Thank you," the girl smiled softly towards her as the woman closed the door. She quickly took off across the hardwood floor into the diningroom. "Kaeru! I'm here!"

"Kenkin," the two of them hugged one another, making Emiko smile. Her son seemed much more energetic with the little girl around, and there was definitely a brightness in his eyes that was missing when she was gone. "You're early."

"I wanted to come see you," the girl spoke softly, but Emiko could still make it out clearly. "I missed you." The young woman couldn't help but smile at the sweetness in Kenkin's voice. She could already imagine raven haired, Byakugan wielding grandchildren. It was so precious! "Will we go, soon? Your mama is being weird." Was she giggling out loud?

"Yeah, she does that sometimes," Kaeru took his plate and brought it to the sink, unceremoniously dropping it into the water with a thankfully small splash. "Mama's weird sometimes. She laughs like that when she's happy and yells really loud when her and papa are fighting at night." Fighting? But her and Shatone hadn't argued at night since Kaeru had been bo- the former Uchiha's face lit up bright as she figured it out.

"I think it's time for you two to go out, now," Emiko insisted, gently pushing both Kaeru and Kenkin towards the door. "Mama has a lot of chores around the house, and you don't wanna spend your time listening to your mama being weird, right?" She held the door open as the two children put on their sandals and pushed them both out, shutting the wooden door behind them. The young mother let out a sigh, her face beet red. She needed to have a talk with her boyfriend.

Kaeru blinked and stared at the door when it shut loudly behind them, his friend doing much the same as he was. "See?" he told her, their eyes meeting. "I told you that she was weird."

"Mm!" Kenkin smiled anyway, and slowly, cautiously reached out with her hand. The boy hesitated a moment before he took it in his own. It had been something commonplace with her, she really seemed to enjoy holding his hand. Part of him wondered if this was the start of a crush, but another shoved that thought aside. She was too young to feel anything like that just yet. "Where are we going today?"

"I was thinking we could go explore a little bit," Kaeru told her, leading her towards the central roads of the village. "I don't really get to go out all that much, and I'd like to spend some time with you." Kenkin smiled at the sentiment. "After that, maybe we could see a movie?"

"Those are really expensive," the girl told him, giving him a curious look. "You have the money for it?" Kaeru flushed this time. "Kaeru..."

"I was thinking we could sneak in and watch from the ceiling," he told her. Kenkin pouted and flicked her free fingers against his forehead. "Agah!"

"That's stealing, you know," the girl berated him, a frown on her face. "It wouldn't be right to abuse chakra like that." Kaeru and Kenkin both locked gazed, each one not backing down from what they wanted. Kaeru really wanted to see a movie, and Kenkin refused to abuse chakra in that type of way. Finally, the boy gave in.

"Fine," he grumbled, trying to ignore the hug that his friend gave him immediately after. "You're really cruel, you know that?"

"Mm, that's mean of you to say," Kenkin teased him, pulling away from the hug and taking her hand in his again. "You should be nicer to me. I'm your best friend after all." Kaeru cocked an eyebrow at the girl.

"Eh? You're acting all high and mighty all of a sudden," he noticed aloud. Kenkin gave him what probably would have been a charming smile if she were older. As a child, it was just cute. "You've gotten really brave ever since school started."

"Maybe I'm just better than you," the girl teased him, giving him a light push. Kaeru nudged her back. "I can even fight with Kakashi, too, and not get beaten easily." Kaeru rolled his eyes, but couldn't deny that Kenkin was one of the few that could compete with Kakashi. She could never beat him, like the rest of the students, but she'd gotten close on several occasions.

"Maybe I should cut you down before your head gets too big," the boy told her, a light smile on his face. He, in fact, was probably the worst fighter in class, right down near Obito's level. The Uchiha was abysmal when it came to combat, and Kaeru was just too cautious ever since school had started. Kenkin had had the best improvement out of all the students, coming from one of the worst to one of the best in fighting. "Your shurikenjutsu is still pathetic, you know."

The Hyuuga immediately deflated. "You're so mean to me," she whined, looking down at the ground. Her hand didn't release his, though. "Maybe I'll become super strong and prove to you I'm better. I don't want to be put with the other weak girls."

"Not all of them are weak," Kaeru tried to defend the others. This was definitely strange for Kenkin. That is, it would be to other people. Kaeru knew better. Kenkin was very open to him, and she apparently had quite the mouth on her. She was stifled by other people most of the time, but Kaeru was just quiet enough that she could speak freely without worry of negative backlash. "I know that Kurenai is pretty good."

"She's ok," the girl replied, but didn't elaborate further. "Not as good as the guys, though." She sent him a small, sidelong smile. "You could beat her, easy."

"Probably," Kaeru decided to stroke his own ego. "But I wouldn't say that to her face."

"I wouldn't either," the girl agreed. Kenkin paused as a very important duo made their way past them. She bowed a bit. "Ah, Lord Orochimaru. Lord Jiraiya." The two stopped to look down at the two children. Jiraiya's eyes immediately zoned in to their connected hands.

"Aha! Now ain't that cute, eh?" his face lit up into a smile. "You lucky little scamp, got a Hyuuga girl's attention like that!" Both Kenkin and Kaeru flushed at the suggestion.

"It isn't like that, Lord Jiraiya," Kaeru began, but he needn't have worried. A sudden huff from the second of the two immediately drew Jiraiya's attention.

"Please, your stupid perverted ways are bad enough on the ones old enough," the Snake Sannin growled. "Don't go spreading it around to children as well." The man glanced over the two kids. "Excuse us. We have a mission and can't afford to become distracted." Kenkin nodded, keeping her eyes to the ground. Kaeru, though, watched as the two moved on, with Jiraiya loudly complaining to his teammate. Kaeru's eyes lingered on the other, however.

Orochimaru... did nothing. He didn't even so much as glance towards them, instead seeming to do his best to ignore his teammate's tirade. That was strange to Kaeru. "Kaeru?" Kenkin spoke up, reaching out with her hand again. "Can we go? I'm a little hungry." The boy nodded slowly, taking her hand and leading the both of them towards the road with a lot of restaurants on it.

The two were silent as they walked through the more crowded streets. Kenkin's robes moved elegantly as she walked, almost looking like a dress. They hid her small figure well, unlike her normal clothing she wore for classes. The robes were just short enough that they didn't touch the ground, but long enough to make it seem almost like she was hovering just above the ground. Well, if you ignored her feet poking out the bottom, that was.

"Do you want anything specific to eat?" Kaeru asked as they looked at the smaller stalls. "Some ramen? Or some fruit?"

"I want dango," the girl told him, pulling the boy towards a close-by dango stall. "Something sweet! Um, please," she added the please as an afterthought when they passed a few adults. The adults smiled and gave them awed expressions, probably enjoying how cute the kids were together. Adults tended to do that in this village, especially civilians. They were soft and weak.

Kaeru quickly drew his mind from those thoughts. He was with his friend, after all. "Why don't you wait out here?" he asked her. "I'll go in and surprise you with something good. Is that ok?"

"Mm!" the girl nodded excitedly, reluctantly letting go of his hand. "Ok. I'll be right here." She rested her hands behind her back, giving the boy an earnest smile. "Now go, bring the most yummy thing they have." Kaeru rolled his eyes at the request, but smiled anyway.

"As you wish, princess," he told her, moving into the small building. There were several people already in line, but it seemed like the staff behind the counter was working quickly. Kaeru waited patiently in line, his hands in his pockets. He had some spare money he'd saved up from chores, so money wasn't too big of an issue with him. When he reached the front, he'd already made his decision. "Two chichi dango, please," he asked the person at the counter, holding up the correct amount of ryo. The young man nodded before getting to work on his order.

Kaeru, again, waited patiently. Once his order was done, he took the bag in his hands and walked back outside to where Kenkin was waiting. Except she wasn't where he'd left her. "Kenkin?" he called out, gripping the bag in his hands a bit tighter. She wouldn't leave without letting him know, right? They'd been planning to spend Saturday together for the last week. "Kenkin, where are you?" No response. The boy started to walk around, searching for his friend.

As more time passed, he moved faster. Something wasn't right. "Kenkin, if you're hiding than this isn't funny!" he called out louder. "Where are you!?" The boy's heart started to race as he looked more frantically, keeping within a radius of the store. Nothing. No sign of the girl or where she could be. "S-Someone help! I can't find my friend!" Despite his pleas, none of the adults around him stopped. "I can't find my best friend! Someone please help me!"

Finally, someone jumped down from the roofs above him. A shinobi. "Hey, what are you yelling about, kid?" a Chuunin spoke to him, wearing the normal flak jacket as well as shinobi gear. He had raven hair, as well as the almost regal features that identified him as an Uchiha. "Well? You gonna waste my time or tell me what's going on?" the young man had a pin on the left side of his jacket, signifying that he was part of the Konoha Police force. He was probably on patrol.

"My friend is missing," Kaeru explained as calmly as he could, but his breathing hitched midway through speaking. "She's a Hyuuga, and we were out playing alone today. I went to get us some dango and when I came back, she was gone!" The Chuunin brought a hand to his chin and hummed.

"Well, I haven't seen a little Hyuuga girl today," he said. "But I'll keep a look out, alright squirt?" Red flags immediately rose in Kaeru's head. The boy's eyes narrowed. Had he actually been a child, the reassurance would have fooled him. The Uchiha was lying.

"Where's my friend?" Kaeru growled, startling the shinobi. "Where did you take her!?"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, brat," while he still attempted to sound friendly, Kaeru recognized the tenseness now present in the Chuunin's voice. "I don't know what you're talking about. I told ya that I'd help find your little friend, didn't I?"

"You're lying!" the Nara's fists clenched. "You know where she is. If you don't tell me, I'll scream for help again and say you're... you're trying to touch me weird!"

"Listen here, you little brat," the Uchiha leaned forward. To a normal child it would have been intimidating, especially with the Uchiha's Sharingan flared up. Four tomoe in total. He had some experience. "You're not gonna say a single fucking word, you got that? Me and my squad just decided to show her around a little bit and show her a-" Kaeru didn't hesitate. He thrust his fist towards the Chuunin, but his fist was caught. "You made a big mistake, you little brat. You wanna see your friend so bad? Fine! I'll show you."

"I'll kill you," Kaeru growled, dropping his entire act. "I'll fucking murder you, you piece of shit." The Uchiha had tossed Kaeru over his shoulder, easily overpowering the child.

"Damn, you've got quite the mouth on you for a brat," the Uchiha laughed, walking to a nearby wooden door. "A shame, too. You were actually really close to her." Inside was dark, but it seemed to be a storage room from the dim lights. Kaeru could hear crying from further inside. Crying from his best friend.

"I'll fucking kill you!" the boy screamed, struggling in the Chuunin's grasp. "You dirty fucking Uchiha bastards! I'll murder each and every one of you!" Kaeru was tossed onto the floor, his wrists and ankles bound by ninja wire. Three other members of the Uchiha's squad were touching the naked little girl.

"K-K-Kaeru!" she screamed, tears flowing down her face. "Let g-go of me!" She tried to struggle, but two hands kept hold of her ankles and wrists. "Please s-stop!"

"Damn, she does have a pretty cute body," the Uchiha that had brough Kaeru muttered. "I knew Hyuuga were good looking under all those robes. Too bad we couldn't grab an older one, huh?"

"She's got some decent muscle mass," the one holding her right side chuckled. "Hey, you guys sure they won't squeal? The brat you brought looks pretty fiesty."

"Nah, we'll kill this one and I'm sure the girl won't tell anyone, right?" the one holding her left side smirked. Kenkin shook her head fearfully. "Right!?" He shook her, making the girl cry even louder.

"I won't! I won't! Please just let us go!" she begged, screaming again as the fourth's pair of hands rubbed her privates. "N-No! Don't t-touch there! Kaeru, p-please don't look!"

"I'm..." Kaeru snarled, grunting as the first Uchiha kicked his side. "You won't get away with this..."

"We already have, brat," the Chuunin told him. "Now shut up and enjoy the- what!?" The man grunted, as did the other three. They were all frozen. "Grk! I can't move! What the fuck is... You little bastard! What did you do to me!?" The light in the room seemed to dwindle even further as the ninja wire around Kaeru's legs and wrists untied themselves.

"You..." he slowly stood, snarling. "You BASTARDS!" The lights vanished, broken by an unseen forces. Kenkin felt herself drop to the ground, and wet herself involuntarily out of fear. The sheer pressure of death surrounded her, and she could hear the other men screaming in pain and terror. The sound of flesh ripping and bones breaking filled the room.

For what seemed like an eternity, the screams continued, before eerie silence. Kenkin felt a pair of small hands touch her, flinching even though she knew only one person could have hands that small in the room. "It's ok," Kaeru's voice was different. It was gentle, like that of a loving father. At least, how she imagined a loving father to be like. "They're gone. Just... keep your eyes closed and we'll get you outside."

"I-I'm naked," the girl heard herself squeak. She felt something, some sort of fabric, rub against her privates before pulling away. She flinched again. Kaeru led her to the door.

"Can you lift up your leg?" She did so, and felt her panties slip up her right leg. "Now your other." With a bit of work, Kaeru dressed her again before the door to the outside world opened. Her face was burning red from fear, tears, and embarrassment. Still, she tried to hold herself strong. Her eyes glanced over to her savior, his expression firm. He looked a lot older than her all of a sudden. "Here, come dry your tears and-" Despite his words, she couldn't help but let loose all of the emotions she'd been holding back for his sake.

Kenkin sobbed into his shoulder, pressing herself against the boy that had rescued her. The boy was stunned, but he held her close regardless. His hand gently rubbed her back, and he closed his eyes. For a moment, he thought he could see her chakra, but the feeling passed as quickly as it had come. All that existed at the moment was himself, her, and the emotions between them. "I hate them," she muttered. Kaeru shifted to look her in the eyes.

"Who do you hate?"

"Uchiha," she spat, speaking the name like a curse. "T-They always bullied me. When y-you aren't looking. They d-d-don't like Hyuuga." Kaeru frowned. "I h-hate Uchiha." This had been the last straw, then. If it had only been bullying, then she probably would have been fine. This, however? There was very little chance of healing from this.

"I won't let anyone touch you if I can help it," the boy told her, hugging her tight. "I promise." Kenkin slowly nodded into his shoulder, her breath shaky.

The two children sat for a while against one of the nearby buildings, resting in the grass. The bag of dango laid spilled on the ground from when the Chuunin had picked Kaeru up. It was already three when they decided to stand up again. At least, Kaeru did. Kenkin had fallen asleep against his shoulder, and the boy hadn't moved her. His mind was completely blank, not wanting to focus on what had happened to his best friend.

The girl woke slowly, clinging to his arm like it was a stuffed animal. "Nnn..." she moaned softly and yawned as she awoke. "Kaeru?"

"Hey Kenkin, how do you feel?" Kaeru asked. A stupid question. She probably felt like shit. The girl blinked and looked around, taking in their surroundings with bleary eyes.

"Mm? How did we get here?" the girl asked. "Did you get me dango?" Kaeru's eyes narrowed for a moment, but he played along. "Ah... you spilled it, you dummy. Fine, I guess I have to forgive you, though." Did she not remember? A repressed memory perhaps. Too traumatic to bring up again.

"Sorry," Kaeru continued along, taking a deep breath. He allowed his older face to slip from his body. He was a kid, and it was best to go along with her repressed memory, he felt. That was, to keep her from relapsing. "I'll go buy some more another time, ok? Do you want something else as a snack, princess?"

"Hm! I want barbeque today," Kenkin announced, not once leaving his side. "I'll pay for it, ok? Since my best friend is such a dummy."

"Hey!"

"Ehehe~" the girl laughed gleefully, a far cry from the fear she'd experienced earlier. "Let's go, lazy butt. U-Um, do you want to go do anything today?"

"Well, we could go train or something. I want to get really strong," Kaeru suggested. He would protect his best friend. Always. The girl seemed to hesitate, but nodded eagerly.

"Ok!" she probably wasn't expecting training when they decided to spend the day together, but she probably only went along with it because of him. He would do whatever she wanted if she asked. "Let's go, ok?" the two of them stood slowly and brushed the dirt off from themselves, before Kaeru took Kenkin's hand and led her to the training grounds at the edge of the village. He missed her look back at the wooden door with grit teeth for a brief moment, before following him eagerly.

 **XXXXX**

The day came and went, and the young duo eventually found themselves at Akamichi Barbeque, known for its abundance of food and large servings. The restaurant had opened fairly recently as a second source of income for the Akamichi family. While many of their clan specialized in shinobi work, the rest were often regaled as head chefs, food critics, and even farmers. It only made sense that they would, in time, open their own specialized restaurant in the village. It was a family friendly place, often booked by large groups of friends, families, parties, or even for a cheap, filling date.

"Oooooh, such young customers!" the large, rotund lady commented as she approached their table. "Are your families here as well, youngsters?"

"They're not," Kaeru answered for them, Kenkin looking down at the table. Her hands rested stiffly on her lap. "We're here alone. Is that ok?" The lady seemed to contemplate it for a moment before giving the boy and girl a large, friendly smile.

"Of course!" she finally decided, "far be it from my family to turn down a hungry mouth. So! My name is Chouharu and I'll take care of you both tonight. What can I get you both to eat?"

"I think we'll both like the pork and beef hotpot," Kaeru's mouth was watering as he suggested it to his friend. The girl nodded and gave him a gentle smile. "With bamboo shoots, sliced potatoes, dumplings, tofu and udon noodles. Oh! And the special sauce you have."

"Ohohoh, what hungry little kids we have, hm?" Chouharu teased them. "I'll bring you both some water to drink, too. I'll be right back!"

"Thank you," both Kenkin and Kaeru echoed one another, getting a smile in return from the Akamichi lady. Not all of the waitstaff were Akamichi, though. They'd only been so lucky. there were civilians, retired shinobi, and even other clan members working in the restaurant. All in all, it was a very open place that accepted anybody within its walls.

"H-Hey," Kenkin spoke up, looking past her friend. "Is t-that Mr. A-A-Aburame-e?" Kaeru looked behind him, past his booth seat, and indeed spotted their academy teacher walking in the door. "It's just w-weird seeing him outs-side of class."

"Yeah, I guess it is," Kaeru responded, looking back across the table to his friend. "Have you ever eaten here before?"

"N-Not at all," the girl replied, giving him a wider smile. "T-The prices seem ok. I can p-pay if that's ok?"

"Are you sure? We could probably split it."

Kenkin shook her head, her smile fading briefly. "I'd like to p-pay for your f-f-food," she told him. "To thank you fo-or a good day, tod-day." Kaeru hid his grimace and nodded. Their food arrived in due time, and Kaeru and Kenkin reminisced their training. While it was nothing special, only some physical exercises and kata (forms), it was still important to uphold the basics of their learning.

Neither of the two noticed a few sets of eyes watching them from separate tables. Two pair looked on with content, glad that their child was finally making a friend, and a possible future girlfriend. Another pair watched with trepidation, untrusting of the boy that his little sister had the misfortune of befriending. Another three pairs watched with dark, vengeful eyes. Neither the boy nor the girl would get away with murdering their kin, even if it was in self defense. It was a matter of clan pride, especially against a Hyuuga and an Uchiha outcast.

A final pair of eyes looked upon the Hyuuga with glee and excitement. After so much work and effort, he'd found he'd wasted all of his time. Yet, the thought itself brought him immense joy.

 **XXXXX**

 **A relatively short chapter, but still a lot of setup for the things to come. I wanted to expand the bond between Kenkin and Kaeru, and create a bit of a mini-antagonist for this arc of the story. The Uchiha have always rubbed me the wrong way, especially in the early days. While we do have a lot of examples of good Uchiha, the lot of them are emotional, irrational wrecks. Hell, even the posterboy for good Uchiha, Itachi, is kind of a complete bitch in terms of anything regarding his brother, and he's borderline obsessed with the guy even posthumous. Logic and Uchiha do not mix very well.**


	3. Academy Arc - A Dilemma

**Academy Arc – A Dilemma**

 **XXXXX**

The Hatake household was quiet. It had been that way ever since its patriarch had died, and left the only surviving member of the Hatake family an orphan. It was large. It was grand. It was empty. It was cold. Kakashi hated this house. He hated the villagers. He hated himself. There was very little that Hatake Kakashi didn't hate. The few things he didn't hate? Well, that was a list that he couldn't bring to his mind as he roused himself for the day. The five year old sat up in his bed. When his father had been alive, the sound of breakfast cooking and his awful singing would fill the house. The smell of eggs, bacon, and perhaps fish if they were so lucky would also be present.

Two months since his father had committed suicide. Part of him was relieved. The old man was clearly suffering, and part of Kakashi hated that. The other part still hated his father. His father had foolishly placed his teammates lives before the mission, resulting in several deaths and a mess that would have to be cleaned up at a later date, if possible.

"Those who break the shinobi creed are trash," the young Hatake repeated to himself before he rose for the day. He reached over to his drawer, and pulled out his outfit, including a face mask. It used to be something he wore to be cool. To be different. Now it was to hide his shame from the world. The shame of having a father who betrayed the trust of his village. The cloth rested around his neck as he prepared himself for the day. The young man went downstairs to cook his own breakfast.

After eating and brushing his teeth, Kakashi gathered his things for school. It was the final week of the academy, and he'd already been approached by the instructors about graduating early. A prodigy, they called him. Only one in a generation. the last to have appeared was Minato Namikaze, a shoe-in for Hokage should he grow even stronger. That was his new idol.

A man who was strong. A man who was efficient. A man who followed the shinobi creed. He was truly what all shinobi should aspire to be like. An icon for the younger generations.

Kakashi left his house, for it wasn't a home, and walked towards the academy. His mask was already set upon his face; both the one made of cloth and the one he wore to hide his own emotions. This village was his home. This village was his home. This village was his home. How many times did he need to repeat that to himself?

As many times as it took for him to believe it.

This village, that pressured his father into suicide. This village, that cared nothing for its shinobi. those who break the rules are trash.

His fist tightened, and he felt himself draw a small amount of blood from his fingernails digging into his skin. This village. What was this village to him?

"Hey, you jerk!" the annoying voice of his classmate rang in Kakashi's ears. He did his best to ignore it. "I'm talking to you, you dumb jerk!"

"K-Kaeru, you shouldn't i-insult him so much," the much more reasonable voice also approached. Ah, Kenkin. Kakashi hid a sigh, and turned to face the duo. they were best friends, legendary in their classroom for being inseparable. One was an unskilled loser, and the other another genius, like himself. What those two were doing around one another so often was beyond most of the class, Kakashi included. Kenkin could do much better than that loser.

Like himself.

The Hatake ignored the passing thought. "Hyuuga. Nara," he greeted them as they approached. The three of them began to walk towards the academy together.

"Good m-morning Kak-kashi," Kenkin greeted him, offering a polite smile. "Are you f-feeling alright?" The girl was cute in a way. In a way that made Kakashi uncomfortable. He didn't have much experience with girls, though for some reason had an impromptu fan club made for him by some of his classmates. Girls were weird. Thankfully, Kenkin was nothing like that. She clung to Kaeru instead, anyway.

The jerk.

Once more, the thoughts were ignored. "I'm awake," he responded simply, hoping that would satisfy her question. It did, fortunately. It seemed that she got the hint.

Conversation stalled as they walked, and an uncomfortable silence descended between them all. Kakashi decided to observe his two new walking 'buddies', for lack of a better term. Kaeru and Kenkin were holding hands, as they always did. They also walked shoulder to shoulder, almost. Ever since a few months prior, they'd been extremely close. They'd become like that just before his father had-

Gone. Those thoughts were once more gone from his head. Fingernails dug into his skin. "Kakashi," Kaeru spoke up. The silver haired boy stopped, once more paying attention to his surroundings. The academy was in sight, but between them and the academy were two Uchiha clan members, both genin it seemed if the headband and lack of a flak jacket was anything to go by. Kakashi had almost run into them.

The silver haired boy looked at his classmates, and while Kaeru seemed calm, Kenkin had a glare on her face that would kill. She was gripping her best friend's hand extremely tight, however. "What is it you want, Uchiha?" Kaeru's voice was respectful, but there was an underlying aggression there that Kakashi had once thought only adults could manage.

The Uchiha in front of them sneered, looking over all three of them. A cold shiver ran down Kakashi's spine. "We just wanted to make sure our favorite two students made it to class on time," the one on the left, who had longer hair, spoke first. "You've been late all the other times, after all." Looking back, they had been late on several occasions.

"Please move out of our way, Uchiha," Kaeru spoke again, and Kakashi stepped forward.

"Can we move past?" his voice was cold, as practiced. The Uchiha glared at him as well. "We have class in a few minutes and I don't want to be late, either."

"Yeah, we just wanna talk a little is all," the short haired Uchiha spoke this time. Kakashi braced himself. This was going nowhere. "Hey, back it up you little brat! I don't think you want us to hurt you!" Kenkin stepped forward, her Byakugan giving her an intimidating look.

"Get out of our way," she hissed, surprising the silver haired boy. Before he could ask what was going on, the Hyuuga lunged towards the boys. "Get out of my way!" She was fast. Faster than she'd moved in any of her spars. Apparently, this surprised the boys in front of them as well, since they narrowly moved in time to avoid her strikes at them. "I hate you!"

"Awww, is the little girl going to cry?" one of them taunted her. Kakashi could only watch in amazement. "Go ahead and cry like a little bitch!"

"AAAAAARGH!" the Hyuuga screamed in anger as Kaeru approached the Hatake's side. "Let me hit you!"

"You should help her," the boy told his classmate. Kakashi gave Kaeru a quizzical look. Kaeru's expression was... difficult to read. "I'm not strong enough to help her, but you could. These guys have been bullying her for a long time, and won't stop."

"If she's not strong enough to fight her own battles, then she's useless," Kakashi spoke matter-of-factly. The weak died. The weak had to be rescued by others. The weak were a blight on the village as a whole. Kenkin screamed as one of the Uchiha finally grabbed her by the hair, and Kaeru tensed.

"The only useless one here is you," he snarled. "Even if I'm weak, I care about my best friend. If you won't help me help her, then I'll do it alone anyway!" Kaeru ran into the fray, trying to land a hit on the genin who were now flinging Kenkin around like a rag. The girl was screaming and crying, and Kaeru was all but useless in trying to hit them.

Kakashi watched on for a few moments before he huffed under his mask. That idiot. Fine, if the Nara was even getting off his lazy butt to defend his friend, what would it make Kakashi if he didn't at least try to help his classmate?

Kakashi's fist slammed against the face of the boy gripping Kenkin's hair, forcing him to release his grip out of surprise. Kenkin, skilled as ever, only took a moment to realize what had happened and followed up with several strikes to the boy's midsection. Kakashi followed that with a kick to the face, that sent the genin tumbling. Both classmates stood side-by-side, watching as the other boy back off a bit.

"Y-You'll regret that!" the Uchiha shouted at them before he collected his kin, running off. Kakashi and Kenkin watched them, the girl breathing heavily, filled with anger and hatred. For a moment they stood there, before Kaeru interrupted and wrapped his arms around Kenkin. The little Hyuuga calmed herself, relaxing into her best friend's hug.

"You ok?" the Nara asked, getting a groan in return. Kakashi stared at the two. He and Kenkin had made a good team. "You ready to go to class?" The girl shook her head, her eyes closed. Kakashi frowned and looked off to where the two Uchiha had escaped. Just what the hell was going on?

 **XXXXX**

Hiruzen sat across from Uchiha Iroshu, his son, Fugaku beside him. The scene that played out on the crystal ball of his had been a common scene ever since he'd been approached by the young Nara several months before. While the aging man rarely handled smaller domestic matters such as this, it gave him a much needed reprieve from the war for a smaller, simpler issue besides land disputes. Not to mention it involved the Konohagakure Police Force, something that was under his direct jurisdiction.

"II take it you know what is the cause of this altercation?" the Hokage went straight to the point. To his credit, Iroshu sat firmly without a trace of hesitation on his face. Of course, Hiruzen already knew of the cause. Kaeru had been brave enough to explain what was happening, and asked that he watch. They had been heckled by Uchiha shinobi for the past week or so, when the Hokage had been made aware.

"I had received word from one of my squads that the boy and girl had been set upon by a couple of ne'er doers from my clan some time ago," the clan head spoke in a dignified manner. "Their bodies were found mangled and bloodied. Hardly recognizable." Hiruzen let out a long breath from his pipe, smoke pouring out of it like a volcano. "Half of them were unclothed, and since then the girl appeared to have a burning hatred for my own clan members. I can only assume that what they attempted was... less than civil."

"What actions did you take in response?" the golden question was asked.

"I commanded that the two be left alone," Iroshu's voice held no hesitation. "The matters of two children are insignificant to my clan, even be they Hyuuga or born from a disgraced member. My force has enough problems, even without taking petty revenge for justice caused by a crime committed by my own clan members. It seems there are those that hadn't heeded my will."

The room was silent as the two powerful men stared one another down. The Uchiha's firm gaze softened slightly. "You know me and what I stand for, old friend. My ancestor's will is not my own, and I would not threaten my clan's placement in this village for such a petty matter."

"I believe you," muttered the Third Hokage. "I will leave it to you to discipline your clan and forces on your own. There are other matters I must attend to, and I simply wished to bring these altercations to your attention. Thank you for your time, Uchiha." the patriarch of the Uchiha clan stood tall and proud, the meeting having concluded. His son did the same. Both of the older men shook hands.

"Of course, Lord Hokage," Iroshu replied smoothly. The two Uchiha left the room, leaving Hiruzen alone with his thoughts. As well as the three ANBU that frequented and guarded him when on duty. It was more of a cake job, easy and decently paying, but with little danger or action attached. The aging Hokage took another puff of his pipe, waiting patiently for his next meeting. As he waited, though, he gazed once more into his crystal ball. The scene inside showed Kenkin and Kaeru sitting inside class. Aged eyes narrowed as he stared at the duo.

The reports behind the girl's chakra increasing day by day was concerning. Normally, it would take time and experience to expand one's own reserves to such an extent. She, however, had the reserves of an experienced genin at only five years old. Kaeru, on the other hand, was far more cunning and brave than anyone else in his age group. His father, Shatone, seemed to have pride in the former and was unaware of the latter.

Most children approached the Hokage as a superior, despite his friendly nature towards children. They treated him with the respect and awe of a child. Kaeru approached him like an adult, and had been incredibly clear in his intentions; to protect his best friend at any cost. While such a desire was admirable, it left Hiruzen worried. Should anything happen to the girl, what would happen to the boy? He had enormous potential as a strategist, and was surprisingly active for one with the name Nara, but that also held within itself its own danger.

Hiruzen moved his jaw around, playing with the pipe in his mouth with his teeth. It was an old habit that helped him think. The boy that came from two very prominent clans was undoubtedly a genius of his own accord, thought fighting might not have been his strongest suit. Despite losing to everyone else in his class, he was surprisingly able to keep up with his best friend despite her superiority in every way.

Was he hiding his strength? Hiruzen wasn't sure. While with a normal child, he would have considered the idea ridiculous, Kaeru had proven time and time again both to his father and to his teachers that he was far from normal.

Three geniuses. Kakashi. Kaeru. Kenkin. The aging Hokage could feel a headache starting to form as he imagined the three children as adults and functioning shinobi. It was not a pleasing thought. He sighed once more before the door to his office opened. His next appointment had arrived. "Good morning, Uzumaki," he greeted the redheaded girl who entered. "Is there a reason you wanted to see me?"

"My village," the girl muttered. "They asked me to come back. It's an emergency."

 **XXXXX**

Kaeru and Kenkin both sat underneath a tree that afternoon after classes. It had been a boring day, with the only notable event being that Kakashi had been announced as a genin, graduating early due to his skill and maturity into the shinobi forces. Students applauded, fangirls cried, and Kakashi looked bored as always. Still, Kaeru and the other boy had met eyes for a brief moment before he'd left. The Hatake would be fine. Now, to finish school and become a shinobi. Something simple to take care of.

Kenkin moved closer towards Kaeru as they both watched the colored leaves fall from the trees due to the afternoon wind. Classes would begin again in a few months when winter started, so they had plenty of time to just relax. It was something that Kaeru had encouraged in his best friend instead of actively doing something every day. She'd taken to it well enough.

The girl was definitely someone interesting. She would be beautiful when fully grown; he was sure of it. "Kaeru?" her soft voice spoke up, and she turned to look at the young Nara. The boy grunted in response. "Do you want to play ninja?" The boy took a second to contemplate it before he sighed and stood.

"Ok."

Kenkin stood up as well, and she offered him a light smile. "I'm gonna be the-" Kenkin paused, and immediately activated her Byakugan. "Look out!" Kaeru immediately moved, narrowly avoiding a barrage of shuriken that had been thrown his way. The girl quickly moved beside him, pulling out a dull kunai from the small pouch on her right ankle. She snarled. "Uchiha."

"Again?" Kaeru asked, exasperated. Hadn't they already gotten the hint? This was getting annoying with how persistent they were.

"It's different then before," Kenkin informed him, looking around with her visual prowess. "One of them is really strong."

"That would be me," a young voice announced itself in front of Kaeru. He stepped out from the treeline, dressed in fancy clothing of the Uchiha clan. "My name is Uchiha Fugaku. I've heard that you both have been causing a lot of trouble for my clan." Both children shivered; they knew who it was.

"Come here and say that to my face you-" Kenkin started before Kaeru cut her off.

"We don't want anything to do with you or your clan," the boy shot his best friend a firm look, making her shrink a little under his glare. "We just want to be left alone. Can't you do that?" The teenager pretended to consider his words before speaking again.

"Well, you see, I can't do that," was the very obvious answer. "As an outcast of my clan and as a Hyuuga, just letting the both of you go with a slap on the wrist would dishonor the name of our clan for what you did." Kaeru grimaced, while Kenkin remained silent. This was not an ideal situation.

"I-I don't know what you're talking ab-bout," the Hyuuga girl stammered, her fists clenched. "I've never done anything t-to you!" Fugaku simply tilted his head, an amused expression on his face.

"Does your father know?" Kaeru asked, wiping the smirk from the Uchiha's expression. "Does he know what you're doing right now?"

"My father has better things to worry about then the punishment of two incorrigible brats," the heir of the Uchiha clan spoke snidely. "A shame, too. If your mother wasn't such a whore and disgraced from the clan, I might have been willing to pass this-" the sound of a fist hitting flesh rang out from the clearing as Kaeru punched the arrogant bastard. "You fucking little shit!"

"Never speak badly about my parents or Kenkin," the boy snarled, glaring at his estranged cousin. "Or I'll make sure you regret it!"

"Touched a nerve, did I?" the smirking young man asked, his hair waving in the wind. "As expected from a bastard!"

"RAAAAAA!" the boy screamed as he tried to hit the Uchiha again, Kenkin watching with shock at the scene. "I'll make you regret those words!" Fugaku's Sharingan was active, with three tomoe in each eye. Kaeru's, however... His eyes glowed red, yes, but he only had a single tomoe in his right eye. Kenkin wasn't the only one to notice.

"You little shit," Fugaku growled at the sight. "That's a Sharingan! Only the Uchiha have the right to use such a gift! You little bastard!" His leg flew out, easily coming into contact with Kaeru's midsection despite the boy trying to avoid the hit. "I'll pluck those eyes right out of your skull, you brat!" Kaeru stumbled back as Fugaku tried to follow up his strike with another punch, but his hand was stopped by another. "What the hell?"

"You should probably leave these youngsters alone, Uchiha."

"Who the hell are you?" Fugaku snarled. "You should butt out of business that isn't yours, you know!" The man who had stopped the strike had to have been around Fugaku's age. His hair was a faded violet, and his hair was cut short and neat. He wore a hitai-ate (forehead protector) and a flak jacket, signifying him as a Chuunin. To have stopped the attack, though, he had to have been fairly skilled.

"Just a passing, concerned Konohagakure shinobi," the man replied, staring down the Uchiha. "With quite a few friends who don't take lightly to what you're doing."

"I thought it was just the pups in your clan," a female voice spoke up, entering the clearing as well. From the trees walked in some familiar faces. The feral yet warming face of Inuzuka Tsune, the stylish and handsome Yamanaka Inoichi, the elegant and refined Hyuuga Hiashi, as well as the tactful and stern Nara Shikaku. "But seeing you of all people harassing a bunch of young'uns? that's pissing me off!"

"With all due respect," Hiashi spoke up as he approached in front of the rest, "I and my brother have been watching your clan for some time now. Always assaulting my youngest sister as well as her friend. Children, no less. I will not take kindly to any further altercations."

"Same with my cousin's brat," Shikaku spoke after, passing Kaeru a firm smile. "I'm pretty proud of you, kid. Not bad for a little brat, I think. though you and I will have to have a talk about those eyes of yours." Fugaku scowled, but took a step back after freeing his hand from the first man's hand.

"You're all fools!" the young man sneered at them, before taking another step back. "My clan will make yours see how important we are to the village! We won't bow to anyone! Not the Uchiha!"

"Get out of here before I decide you must be punished for assaulting academy students," Inoichi told his former classmate. "I might only just be learning the basics in the Torture and Investigation branches, but I'm sure I can have my father speak with yours about this." The Uchiha frowned and spat on the ground towards the others, before moving quickly away from the overwhelming group.

With the main threat gone, the tenseness within the clearing dispersed. The teenagers then turned their attention to the academy students. "Big brother," Kenkin was tearing up, looking at her eldest sibling with admiration. "T-Thank you!"

"I saw that bastard Fugaku heading this way with intent, so I grabbed whoever I could to come follow," the mystery man smiled at the children. "The name is Haruno Kisashi. I hope you two kids have been keeping out of trouble!"

"Ease up on the pups, you idiot," Tsune nudged the man to the side, sending him to the ground with her unintended strength. "You kids alright? Nobody is hurt?"

"I just got kicked in the side," Kaeru replied calmly, getting a concerned look from the young adults. "Kenkin does worse to me in spars. I'm ok."

"You have quite some courage to face up against a clan heir," Hiashi noted aloud. there was some form of surprise in his tone, though his expression remained flat. "Perhaps my brother is wrong about you. You fought for the sake of my sister?"

"I'll protect her no matter what," Kaeru told the older boy, getting a hug from his best friend after he stated those words. "E-Eh? Kenkin?"

"You should relax, you troublesome brat," Shikaku chuckled and ruffled the boy's bowl cut hair. "Yo and have some fun. We'll take care of Fugaku if he starts acting up, alright?" For a moment, an understanding passed between the two Nara. The heir's eyes widened slightly with intrigue.

"Ok, thank you all," Kaeru replied after the split moment, bowing to the clan heirs and Kizashi before he took Kenkin's hand. "Let's go, ok?"

"O-Ok!" the girl replied, bowing as well before they left. Inoichi glanced at his teammate.

"What did you see?"

"That brat is a lot smarter than he lets on," Shikaku told the others, grabbing their attention. "I can see why my cousin is so proud of him. The kid has the eyes of a full grown man."

"Really?" Tsune scoffed at the idea. "A pup is a pup, no matter what. They might bark loud, but that doesn't make them like adults, you know." Shikaku shook his head, crossing his arms as he tried to think. "Shika, you saw how he reacted to his mom being insulted. Hell, I would've done the same thing."

"Except he didn't," Inoichi noticed aloud. "Any other kid would have continued to try and fight the bastard. Little Kaeru stopped as soon as he realized someone else had stepped in for him. He didn't even look all that angry, after."

"Then we will keep an eye on him," Kizashi suggested easily. "Who knows, maybe he's a genius in the making? Just like that Kakashi kid that I'm mentoring, you know?"

"Perhaps," Shikaku concluded. "We'll talk about this over dinner or something. Speaking of, I need to go and visit Yoshino tonight. She'll probably kick my ass if I don't come back and visit her after a week, the troublesome woman."

"Heh, if there was ever a thing to shake you up," Tsune smirked as she spoke. "Hard to believe she was the one who cut your cheek up when you called her a raging bitch!"

"Can... we not?" the Nara asked, flustered.

"Oh, right, what was your official story?" Inoichi teased his friend. "I remember! It was a Suna nin that used his puppets on you, and after a full day's battle-"

"I'll tell your girlfriend that you hate her makeup," the Nara heir threatened, but only received laughter from his friends in return. "Troublesome bastards."

 **XXXXX**

Kakashi walked home for the day, exhausted after his first day with Haruno Kizashi. The young boy sighed under his mask, moving towards a familiar stall within the market district. Ichiraku's Ramen stand, a place where he could have a good meal at a cheap price. Not his favorite place to eat, but it was definitely cheaper to eat than anywhere else of the same quality. Inside, he sat on a booth and waited for his order to be taken. He'd, of course, order a pork ramen with extra menma (bamboo shoots), but perhaps something else would catch his attention while he waited.

This stand had been one of his favorites to go to with his father. The noodles and broth were always perfectly cooked, and something about ramen was comforting when eating with family or friends. Now it was just another reminder of his shame. His father's shame.

"What's got you looking so down, young man?" Teuchi asked behind the counter. It seemed that he was done serving his other customers. "Hey, you've got a headband now. Pretty young to be a shinobi already, aren't ya?"

"I'm a genius," Kakashi stated, as if that explained everything. Teuchi didn't seem to mind, and ignored the arrogance dripping from the boy's tone.

"Well, congrats, kid," the kindly shop owner told his customer. "So, what can I get ya as a celebratory meal, huh? First bowl is on me."

"Pork ramen with extra menma," was the immediate response.

"Coming right up!" The sound of humming filled the stall as Teuchi worked his magic. It was almost enthralling to watch him cook; he seemed to passionate about it and worked his kitchen like an artist of some sort. Kakashi almost didn't notice the girl sit beside him. Almost.

"Hey, old man!" the girl shouted. She was about Kakashi's age, but had to have been younger. She was definitely built well as if she trained often, but he'd never seen her at the academy. "You got any beef ramen there?"

"Ah, Anko!" Teuchi laughed as he greeted the girl. "How's my favorite little customer? You're heading into the ninja academy next semester, right?"

"Mhm!" the violet haired girl replied, a wide grin on her face. "I'm gonna go in and kick major butt!" Kakashi couldn't help but scoff, getting the girl's attention. She frowned at him before her eyes rested on his headband. "Wow, you're a ninja, aren't you?"

"I am," the boy replied. She was like Obito, but even worse. "What's it to you?"

"That's super cool," the girl exclaimed. "You're probably my age and you're a ninja!" Kakashi did his best to ignore the small, excitable girl, but she wouldn't stop. "How'd you do it, huh?"

"Heh, Kakashi here doesn't really talk much," thankfully, Teuchi covered for him. "Give me a moment and I'll get your ramen made, Anko. Then you can tell me all about your day today." Kakashi's and Teuchi's eyes met, and the kindly man shot him a discreet wink. Kakashi nodded his appreciation.

"Oh! It was so cool!" Anko began to start regardless. "I was out training and..." Kakashi allowed her voice to fade from his focus, and instead watched as the bowl containing his meal slid onto the counter in front of him. The noodles, pork, egg, menma, and naruto (fishcake) all created a perfect dish. It had been his father's favorite.

Kakashi glanced around and ensured nobody was looking before he ate, only taking a few moments to eat everything from the bowl, broth and all. "Thank you for the food," he thanked the cook, getting a smile in return. Kakashi left the stall silently, allowing anko to talk to the cook.

The moon was already in the sky, and the sun had departed, leaving the streetlights and lanterns as the only source of light in the village's roads. The walk home was chilly and lonely. The Hatake house was near the corner of the village, and winter was quickly approaching. While it was just the end of summer, fall brought with it colder air than it had been prior. It seemed fitting to the silver haired shinobi. The world, as it was, was a very cold and unwelcoming place. A world that Kakashi had joined. A shinobi completed the mission above all else. A shinobi was a tool for his village. Those who broke the shinobi creed was trash. No exceptions. Not even for the widely famed, late Hatake Sakumo. Widower. Father. Friend. Shinobi.

Tomorrow would begin Kakashi's first mission as a tool for his village. He would not follow in his father's footsteps.

 **XXXXX**

 **Kakashi loved his father, and I always imagined that he never hated the man immediately. I believe that came with time, as well as war. Firsthand experience on what compassion did on the battlefield, and what the costs would be. Also, some clan heads come to the defense of our lovable duo! Yet they as well as the Hokage have some suspicions about the kids and some weirdness about them. Also, Anko! Fuck yeah, the snake waifu of Konoha makes her debut as an annoying little brat! Next chapter, Anko, Kenkin and Kaeru meet for the first time and a rivalry is birthed!**

 **Anyways, that's it for this week. Seeya!**


	4. Academy Arc - That Spark

**Academy Arc – That Spark**

 **XXXXX**

Kaeru was by no means an energetic child. That was something that Shikaku and Hiashi had learned quickly after spending time with the boy. Since the confrontation nearly two months prior, the two men would invite Kenkin and Kaeru for tea and discussion. It was simply their way of looking after the two and ensuring they were safe from harm. Hiashi cared for his little sister, despite his stoicism, and Shikaku was curious about his young cousin. It was a win-win. Still, Kaeru often appeared to doze off during their time together, which Kenkin had stated several times was strange for the boy.

It was definitely rare for a Nara as well. From what Shikaku knew, his family was known for being lazy, yes, but actually dozing off wasn't common. They were a shinobi family, after all, and actually falling asleep on the field was a death sentence for both you and your squad. The heir would have chalked it up to Kaeru just being an unusual kid if the boy actually slept. No, he faked it. He didn't want to talk and interact with himself and Hiashi, that much was obvious.

The question that popped into Shikaku's mind was why? Was the boy hiding something, or did he just not like speaking to adults? Perhaps it was because Kenkin spoke with enough energy for the both of them. Still, if that were true then how come he would speak more towards Kenkin when he thought they were alone? Maybe he was just a strange kid? Whatever the case, it was far too much work to figure that out for Shikaku.

"Thank you s-so much for having u-us," Kenkin stood as the meal came to an end. "B-Big brother, mister N-Nara." The older teen rolled his eyes and waved her concerns off.

"Call me Shikaku," he told the girl. "Using my family name makes me feel old. I'm not clan head just yet." The teen chuckled and Kenkin nodded happily. The three then glanced at their fourth.

"Kaeru," the Hyuuga girl shook her friend. "W-Wake up. We have to g-go now." Kaeru groaned before he 'woke', stretching and yawning for a few seconds before his eyes opened.

"Eh?" The young man yawned again, but Shikaku knew better. His breathing pattern didn't match that of someone who was legitimately sleeping. It was the slow, deep breathing of someone faking it. "Is it done already?"

"Y-Yes," the girl replied, giving her friend a gentle smile. "Do you want to g-go out and train?" A gentle flush adorned the girl's cheeks, and Shikaku was sure that his girlfriend would have gushed over the child if she were present.

"Ok," Kaeru's response was simple, not an uncommon occurrence with him. The girl helped her friend stand up, and he bowed to both Hiashi and Shikaku. "Thank you for having us." Hiashi sent the boy a coy smile.

"Try not to fall asleep while training," the heir of the Hyuuga suggested. "It may end badly for you with my little sister."

"Yes sir," was the polite response. Shikaku gave his friend a lopsided smile as the two left, with Kenkin speaking animatedly to her best friend.

"What, so I get an 'ok' while you get 'yes sir'? Sheesh, what a disrespectful little brat, eh?" The Nara heir chuckled and leaned back a bit, resting hi9s weight on his hands. They had been sat on the floor this time. The Hyuuga household had a distinct lack of chairs. "I have to tell ya, those kids are something special. I'm sure they'll end up changing the world somehow."

"Kenkin especially," Hiashi agreed. "You were able to sense her latent chakra, were you not?" Shikaku nodded.

"I'm not as good at it as Inoichi is, but I don't need to be. You'd have to be one hell of a bad Jounin to miss the amount of chakra she has. She's five?"

"Six," Hiashi corrected his friend. "Yes. Father is both worried and proud of her. Something about the fruit of his loins being melons." Both of the young men shivered at the thought. "In any case, it's something that he has tasked my brother and I to keep watch of. I'm convinced she might explode from chakra buildup if we don't."

"That might actually be kind of interesting to watch," the Nara chuckled. "Provided she doesn't actually explode, that is." The glare that Hiashi sent him didn't lessen. "What?"

"You're an asshole."

"Oh, scathing."

 **XXXXX**

Snow dusted the ground, and the trees lacked their usual vibrant green leaves. It was training ground seven, the one both Kenkin and Kaeru had taken up as their own ever since the beginning of their days at the academy. Despite it only being so short a time ago, it seemed as if the academy days had been so long ago. Ninja academy was much more forgiving in time than civilian school, since breaks in academy workload allowed the teachers, normally Chuunin, to take up better paying missions to compensate their less than stellar teaching pay. Classes began in the middle of spring, and would end during the middle of fall.

"Hah!" A lone voice cried out from the training ground. A first. Normally it was only Kaeru and Kenkin that inhabited the grounds at any given day. However, since they'd started spending more time with their older friends, they had spent less time training. "Hah!" That amount of time may have allowed someone new to frequent training ground seven. "Hah!"

As the two children approached, they spotted a girl who appeared only a little younger than them striking at a bare tree, building her endurance and strength. The bark had long since been chipped away, leaving the wood underneath exposed to the elements. "Hah!"

"It looks like someone else is here," the boy observed aloud to his friend. "Maybe we should come back another time?" Despite being muffled by the snow, Kaeru's voice reached the girl's ears. She turned around, gazing at the two newcomers with dark chocolate eyes.

"Hey, what are you two doing over there, huh!?" The girl yelled at them, grabbing their attention. "You come to laugh at me too!? Did Odomaru put you up to it, you jerks!?"

"Odomaru?" Kaeru tilted his head, his voice strong enough to cover the distance between himself and the girl. He approached the violet haired stranger, his hands in his coat pockets. "I don't know any Odomaru."

"Kaeru," Kenkin attempted to pull him away. "We should go..." She could see the angry look on the new girl's face, and it scared her a little.

"Eh? But she's just a little girl. She doesn't look very- urk!" Kaeru was interrupted as the girl lunged at him, attempting to slug him across the face. He avoided the strike just in time before his eyes narrowed. She wasn't as weak as he'd thought she would be. "Hm. Ok, so you're interesting."

"I'll show you what interesting is, you bastard," the girl gave him an almost cruel smile. "I'll kick your ass!" She made to strike him again, each punch and kick was avoided with precision and care. She was already as strong as beginning students at the academy.

"Tch, what a mouth on you," Kaeru grunted, sidestepping another punch. Kenkin watched on with a hint of worry in her eyes. "Where did you learn words like that?"

"Why the hell do you care, huh?" The girl snapped back at him. "My name is Mitarashi Anko, and I'm gonna be the Hokage!"

"Hokage, huh?" Kaeru lazily weaved out of the way from another strike. Anko's once fast swings were becoming sluggish. She was tiring out. "There's no way a kid like you is gonna be Hokage."

"Just you wait, you bastard," the girl growled in reply. "I'll get you...! Just, slow down or something so I can hit you!" With one more swing, her fist was caught by the shinobi in training. "B-Bastard! Let go of me!"

"No," was Kaeru's simple response. "Not unless you promise not to hit me again, ok?"

"Raaaah!" Anko made to swing at him with her other hand, but it was caught by Kenkin's palm.

"D-Don't hit him!" She shouted, a scared look on her face. "Can't we just t-talk?" There was silence from all three of them as the girl tried to plead with the two that had been fighting. "Kaeru, what's wrong with you!? You're never like this."

"I..." Kaeru was at a loss for words. His eyes flickered between Kenkin and Anko. He frowned. She was right, usually he wasn't so eager to fight for no reason. Still, just looking at Anko made him feel something. It was an unnatural feeling, and he wasn't quite sure if he liked it or not. When she had been arguing with him, though, it had flared up and she became impossible to ignore. "Hmph. She was the one who attacked first."

"I'll hit you," Kenkin threatened him. Her expression was firm and her Byakugan was active; even Anko looked slightly afraid of her. "Both of you, apologize so we can talk and be friends."

"Y-Yes ma'am."

"Ok, Kenkin."

The girl released anko's hand, and Kaeru did the same. "Apologize."

"I'm sorry, Anko," Kaeru's apology lacked energy. His best friend stared at him. "I'm sorry for fighting you like that."

"Yeah, same here." Glare. "Urk! I'm sorry for trying to punch you." Glare. "U-Uh, punch you for no reason?"

"Was that so hard?" Kenkin asked, giving them both an adorable smile. Any traces of her previous disappointment was gone. "Now, we can all be friends and train together!"

"Yaaaaay..." The cheers following lacked any kind of enthusiasm. Kenkin only smiled beautifully. Both Anko and Kaeru glared at one another, each one blaming the other.

"Now, both of you can spar against me at the same time," the Hyuuga suggested, her look becoming smug. "It will be a fun warm up."

"N-Now Kenkin," Kaeru took a step back, feeling a bead of sweat travel down his forehead at the thought, "maybe let's not get too exited-"

"Piece of cake!" Anko, who didn't realize how skilled the Hyuuga truly was, instantly lunged towards her even in her own exhausted state. Kenkin quickly sidestepped the lung, used to such forward tactics from fighting against Kaeru so often. Despite all of his technique, the Nara always started his battles by lunging at his opponent. "Argh, stand still you bitch!"

Kenkin's eye twitched, and she grabbed the incoming kick that Anko followed up with to quickly shut down the muscles inside. Her head flew to the side as Kaeru blindsided her with a kick from the other direction. Her Byakugan hadn't been activated. The girl stumbled to the side, and watched as her best friend stood next to their new partner. "You underestimated me again." She had. She'd assumed by his passive start that he would stay out of the fight until she came to him.

"You cheated."

"We're going to be shinobi," Kaeru replied. "If you're not cheating, your not-"

"Trying!" Kenkin finished for him. She darted in a curved line towards Anko, who had been distracted by their banter. She was the weakest link. Kaeru was too unpredictable when it came to his tactics, but sometimes they were simple enough to take advantage of. "I've got you! Unf!" She spotted a fist coming for her side just as she reached out to strike Anko. Her own arm blocked Kaeru's punch, and she was forced to direct her attention on him instead of Anko.

Another flash of movement caught by her Byakugan led her to intercepting another kick from Anko, using her knee to twist her leg around the other girl's and trip her. Fighting against Kaeru and Kakashi had forced her to adapt her style from her family's Juuken (Gentle Fist) style. The Juuken didn't take into account to blows below the waist, making low strikes especially dangerous to the Hyuuga.

Another limb came at her face, and the blocked it with her arm.

Another from Kaeru came at her feet, and she had to leap over it. Unlike Anko, he was strong enough and had good enough balance to avoid being tripped. His other leg was also too far away from her, making a sweep of the leg a non-option. Kenkin found herself smiling. Kaeru was always a fun oponent, but there was only ever just one of him, so it made his movements predictable after a while.

Adding Anko to the mix made it much more fun, and she had to be aware of several directions all at once. The girl's smile widened. She felt so alive. "I think we should stop," It was Anko's voice that make her freeze. "She's getting a really creepy smile on her face."

"Yeah, I see it," Kaeru too? "Are you ok, Kenkin? Your face is getting really red."

"I was having fun, you jerks!" The Hyuuga whined. "Why'd you have to stop?"

"Kenkin, look at our arms," Kaeru spoke slowly. The girl frowned and looked at them. Their arms and hands were covered in red marks, as if they'd gotten chakra burns. "You were getting really serious, Kenkin. I can't feel the chakra in my arms anymore."

"Me too," Anko showed her own bruised arms. "You're really strong!" There were stars in the violet haired girl's eyes. With her short hair let down, she was actually kind of endearing. "Can you train with me more?" Kenkin was more concerned about her lack of control. Still, it wouldn't do to let her new friend down.

"Yeah, we can train a lot with Kaeru," she told Anko, getting a frown in return.

"Ew, I don't want to train with a bastard like him," she grumbled. Kaeru growled, something uncharacteristic with him.

"What was that, you little brat?" His voice wasn't loud, but it definitely held a presence to it. "I'll kick your butt from here to the Hokage Monument."

"I'd like to see you try, you big bastard!" Anko shouted back, getting up in his face. Kenkin stared at her friend, and only slightly noticed the amusement in his eyes and the gentle curve of his lips.

"Oh yeah? then how about we race," Kaeru grinned a bit. "First one to become Hokage wins. Got it?"

"You're on!" Anko's fists were clenched. "You better watch out, cause I'm gonna be the first girl Hokage, you bastard." Kenkin could only smile. Maybe they weren't the best of friend, but they were certainly something.

A strange sensation tugged at her head. Kenkin looked around as Kaeru and Anko continued to try and one up one another. It was a tugging, pulling feeling right at the top of her head, like it was being pulled by a string. Something slithered back into the forest around them.

Kenkin instantly activated her Byakugan, hoping to catch it in her vision. She only saw it for a brief second. A dark chakra slipping away, further into the forest around them. She couldn't make out a shape, but it definitely had a head. It looked like- Pain. Pain throbbed through her skull, forcing her to drop her Doujutsu (Visual Prowess) and she fell to her knees into the snow.

"H-Hey, Kenkin, are you ok?" Her best friend asked immediately. He was so sweet. "Sheesh, you really scared me there. Are you hurt? Do you want to head back into the village?"

"What's wrong with her?" Anko followed up. "Does she usually do that?" Kaeru shook his head, and Kenkin tried to stand. The throbbing pain was gone, and it was replaced only by a feeling of... what was that feeling? It was like excitement, but a lot more scary.

"I'm ok," Kenkin spoke slowly, trying to focus. She was ok. She could stand. Maybe she'd exhausted herself? Yes, that had to be it. The feeling was already fading away. "I think I just exhausted myself. Can we get food, Kaeru? I'm hungry."

"Of course," Kaeru was all too happy to get her something to eat. He was almost like Hiashi; he spoiled her almost like an older brother would. It was kind of weird now that she thought about it; he was younger than her after all. "Ramen? Or do you want something different?"

"Barbeque?" The Hyuuga asked, giving her friend a sideways look. "Something filling."

"Hotpot?"

"Hotpot?" Anko echoed, confused. Both Kaeru and Kenkin shared a look.

"Hotpot," she agreed.

 **XXXXX**

"Holy shit, this is hotpot!?" Anko's vulgar language thankfully didn't carry far past their booth after she'd taken her first bite. "This is awesome!"

"Just the right mix of bitter, sour, sweet and smoky," Kaeru agreed, pulling his slice of beef from the pot and dipping it into some teriyaki sauce. "A little of everything for everyone. The perfect meal for family and friends." Anko slurped down a bunch of udon noodles.

"Diff doen't m'k uff fwendth," she glared at the boy sitting across from her, her mouth full of food. Kenkin hid her giggles as she pulled some noodles of her own into her mouth. She'd covered it in a little bit of wasabi; she loved spicy flavors. Anko swallowed the food in her mouth before she pointed at Kaeru with her chopsticks. "Next time I'll totally kick your ass."

"I'd like to see you try," the Nara replied as he took another bite of his beef. It had a sweet flavor to it that mixed well with the saltiness of the seasoning, something that Kaeru loved. He was the epitome of calm as he spoke and ate. It was something Kenkin had never noticed before. He was much more mature than their friends at the academy, not that they had too many. Only Obito and Rin, and maybe that Asuma boy. He gave her kind of a weird feeling, though.

"Not at the table," Kenkin decided to interject before they could argue during their food. "I don't want food going everywhere because you're fighting again."

"You're not my mom!" Anko stuck her tongue out. Kenkin stared at her.

"I will Juuken your tongue," she threatened. Said appendage quickly re-entered Anko's mouth. "Can we eat, please?"

"I'm not stopping you," Kaeru gave his friend a cheeky smile, his eyes meeting Anko's. She seemed to get the hint.

"Yeah, the only one not eating right now is you," the violet haired girl picked up a slice of pork and slipped it into the boiling broth to cook. "Are you feeling ok, princess?"

"I- You- Nnnnn..." Kenkin whined as she realized her two friends had turned against her. "You both are meanies." Her two traitorous friends laughed at her realization as the Hyuuga pouted. She grabbed some noodles with her own chopsticks and placed them in the broth to marinate some. The smallest hints of a smile slid across her face, however. "I'll get you both back for that next time when we train."

"Next time?" Anko asked, confused. "You guys will train with me again?"

"Did you think we wouldn't?" Kaeru asked, smiling a little bit. "You're pretty strong. You would be fun to train with." He paused to take a bite from some noodles he'd placed into the pot. "Besides, we're still racing for Hokage, aren't we?" Anko grinned widely, nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Yeah! I'll totally get there first!" In her excitement, the girl had shoved her chopsticks forward to point at the boy. Unfortunately, she had been holding noodles in her utencils, and the food slipped out when she did so, throwing it against the wall behind the boy. "Uhh, oops!" Both Kenkin and Kaeru laughed at the girl's misfortune, getting an angry rant in return as Anko tried to hurridly clean up the mess she'd made.

The young boy glanced at his two friends and smiled. This was home. This was fulfillment. There wasn't anything that could possibly go wrong.

 **XXXXX**

"You're certain of this?"

 **"Yes, the boy will make the perfect candidate. All he needs is a push in the right direction."**

"I will take it into consideration, Zetsu. Leave me, I will plan accordingly."

 **"Of course."**

…..

"You really thing this will work?"

 **"He is the key to everything. You just keep yourself from screwing everything up, got it?"**

"If you say so. But how are we going to get him to come to us?"

 **"He'll do it one way or another. We just need to find the right time. Mother will come back to her former glory, and then the world will become new once more."**

 **XXXXX**

 **Uh oh, we've got some shady characters working in the background. It's pretty obvious who they are, but they've definitely taken an interest in one of our male cast (boy, I wonder who that could be?). The duo meet Anko for the first time, rounding off our main cast for part one, and Kaeru jinxes absolutely everything to come! How will they suffer for his internalized mistake? Well, I only have a few ideas, but you'll have to keep reading to find out.**

 **Overall a shorter chapter, but I figured it would be fine to end it here. Adding any more would just be out of place for the lighthearted tone of this chapter.**


End file.
